Copy of ‘Action Comics’ no. 1 sells for $2.16 million

A copy of Action Comics number 1, which features Superman’s first appearance and was published in 1938, went for a record breaking $2.16 million at auction. It is the first time a comic book has gone for over $2 million at an auction.

The auction was held online, with bidding starting at $1 and the reserve set at $900,000 The BBC reported. The seller’s name was not disclosed, but it has been speculated that actor Nicolas Cage, who is such a big Superman fan that he named one of his sons Kal-El, owned the copy. In 1997, Cage bought a copy of the issue for just $150,000.

What made this particular copy of Action Comics so rare is that it was graded at 9.0, meaning that the 73-year-old comic is close to pristine condition. Stephen Fishler, CEO of ComicConnect.com, the site that auctioned the comic, told The Associated Press that an 8.5 graded copy sold for $1.5 million last year and he “truly believed that this was a record that would stand for many years to come.”

This copy also broke records in the past, becoming the most expensive comic book in 1992 and 1997, but was stolen in 2000. It was rediscovered in California in April.

There are believed to be just 100 copies of Action Comics number 1 remaining with just a handful being in good condition.